Personalised photo tiles: a guide to an engraved keepsake gift
21 September 2026 7 min read
A photo on a decorative tile gives a favourite memory a place in your home. At MyTomette, your picture becomes an engraved drawing on a terracotta tile, with or without your own words. A family portrait, a wedding photo or a moment from a holiday can become a personalised photo gift to keep in view.
The best starting point is a photo with a story. This guide explains how to choose a clear image, frame the subject and find a message that feels right for your personalised engraved photo tile.
From a photo to a keepsake: concept illustration of a couple’s portrait engraved on a terracotta tile. Your result depends on your photograph and the design you choose.
What does an engraved photo tile look like?
Your photograph is the starting point for a drawing. Faces, a smile, a gesture and selected details of the setting form the illustration that is engraved into terracotta. The warm clay colour and texture become part of the design.
It is a different result from a colour photo print. Clear expressions and recognisable shapes matter more than tiny background details. Use the preview to check what makes the picture special to you: a familiar face, the way you are holding hands or a place that brings back a memory.
How to choose a photo for engraving
Start with the original image file whenever possible. Enlarge it on your screen: the eyes, mouth and outline of the subject should remain easy to see. Turning a photograph into a drawing does not automatically restore detail that was missing in the first place.
For a portrait: choose clearly visible faces with good lighting. Faces hidden by hair, hands or deep shadows are harder to interpret.
For a group: look for people standing close together. A large crowd leaves less room for each face on a small decorative object.
For a place: identify the features that make it recognisable, such as a house frontage, a coastline, a mountain or a distinctive tree.
For image quality: avoid blurry screenshots, heavily compressed files and filters that substantially change faces.
Should the background stay in the drawing?
Keep some atmosphere when it tells part of the story. A line of sea behind a couple may bring back a holiday; scattered objects in a living room may add little to a family portrait. The transformation looks for the subject and some of the setting, while the preview lets you judge the balance.
Bring the crop closer when the people matter most. Leave more space when the location is part of the memory. Check that faces and other essential details remain within the visible tile area, especially when switching between the hexagonal and square formats.
Which terracotta tile format should you choose?
The tomette measures 12 × 10 cm and costs €24.90. A tomette is our small hexagonal terracotta tile. The square tile measures 13 × 13 cm and costs €29.90. You can add an optional hanging hole for €3.
Compare both shapes in the preview. The square format may give the composition more room around the portrait; the tomette brings a distinctive shape to a small keepsake. Choose the one that suits your picture once it has been framed. If you prefer a ready-made motif with your own wording, browse our personalised decorative tiles.
A memory with a place in the home: concept illustration of an engraved portrait tile on a wooden console. A square tile is also available in the configurator.
Photo gift ideas for the moments that matter
Start with the memory you want to celebrate, then add words. A short message leaves more room for the picture. Sometimes a place and a date tell the whole story.
Weddings and anniversaries
A wedding-day portrait, a favourite trip or an everyday moment that feels like the two of you can make a personal gift. Try “Our story”, “Since that day” or your names and a date. Explore our personalised wedding gifts for other ways to mark the occasion.
New babies and first family memories
Choose a first portrait of the baby or a picture with their parents. Keep the wording simple: a name and birth date, “Welcome to the world” or “Our little wonder”. Check the face carefully in the preview. Our personalised new baby gifts offer more ideas for a keepsake.
Birthdays, parents and grandparents
A photograph of several generations, a walk together or a portrait with the grandchildren can mean a great deal without a long message. “All together”, “The moments with you” or a place and year may be enough. Discover more personalised family gifts.
New homes, friendships and favourite places
A photo outside a first home, a shared holiday or the view from a meaningful place gives a decorative object a personal story. Try “Home, at last”, “Where it began” or the name of the place. For a housewarming gift or a best friend gift, it is the connection between the photo and the person receiving it that counts.
A photo made into a thoughtful gift: concept illustration of a personalised terracotta portrait tile. The box is part of the styling.
Create your photo tile in a few steps
Upload your photo and choose your drawing. You can create 3 new illustrations in a rolling 48-hour period. Designs already in your gallery remain available to reuse without another generation.
Choose your tile. Compare the square and hexagonal formats in the preview.
Place your words. Text above can suit a composition with space at the top; text below can read like a signature. Choose no text when the drawing says everything.
Adjust the framing. Zoom and move the illustration, keeping the people and essential details in view.
Check before adding to your basket. Review names, spelling, dates, the tile format and the optional hanging hole.
If you want more freedom over the composition, continue in the expert configurator. Try a short phrase first: the best words are often the ones that belong to your shared story.
A personalised decorative object, engraved on the French Riviera
MyTomette grew out of Pampa, our home décor shop in Hyères, on France’s Mediterranean coast. Customers’ enthusiasm for our tiles in the shop led us to create MyTomette.fr. Our work is engraving: giving a name, a message and now a drawing from your photograph a place in the home. Discover the workshop and our story.
Questions before you start
Is this a colour photograph printed on a tile?
No. Your picture is turned into a drawing and engraved on a decorative terracotta tile. The colours of the original photograph are not reproduced as a colour print. The configurator lets you review the illustrated composition.
Can I create a gift without adding text?
Yes. Keep the drawing on its own, add a name or combine a short message with a date. Words are optional.
Will the drawing be identical to my photograph?
It is an interpretation. Some textures, shadows and background details are simplified to create the drawing. Check the likeness and the details that matter in the preview, then choose the illustration you prefer before ordering.
How much does an engraved photo tile cost?
The tomette starts at €24.90 and the square tile at €29.90, including engraving. The optional hanging hole costs an extra €3. Shipping depends on the destination and delivery method. Read our delivery information when planning a gift for a particular date.
